...defects. Nominations must be submitted by Aug. 31. For forms and details, call the Department of Health and SocialServicesOfficeofFAS in Juneau, 465-3033, or e-mail heidi_brocious@health.state.ak.us Fairbanks city clerk dies...

Alaska is on the forefront of states trying to create a systematic way of diagnosing and treating FAS, said Diane Casto, program manager for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services' Office of FAS. The state began its concentrated effort at addressing FAS in 1997. "We knew we had a huge problem, we knew that anecdotally we had one of the highest rates of FAS in the nation, and we knew that our state was not doing enough to truly address this 100 percent preventable disability," Casto said.